In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘May PEARL’. The present variety was hybridized by me in 1999, grown as a seedling on its own root in my greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near La Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley).
The variety was developed as a first generation cross using ‘June Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,360) white flesh nectarine as the selected seed parent and ‘Rose Diamond’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,421) as the selected pollen parent. A single tree from the stated cross was selected as the claimed variety. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘June Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,360) nectarine, by producing white flesh nectarines that are firm in texture, sub-acidic and sweet in flavor, clingstone in type, and mostly red in skin color, but is very distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that matures about 3 weeks earlier.
The present variety is very distinguished from its pollen parent, ‘Rose Diamond’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,421) nectarine, by producing nectarines that are white instead of yellow in flesh color, that are sub-acid instead of acid in flavor, and that mature about nine days earlier.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Early Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,248) nectarine, by producing nectarines that are firm in texture, sub-acidic and sweet in flavor, clingstone in type, mostly red in skin color, and white in flesh color, but is distinguished therefrom by having a much larger blossom with a higher percentage of double blossoms, by requiring much less chilling, and by producing fruit that matures about ten days earlier.